National Dancing Day

Today is/was National Dancing Day - unbeknown to us all!

So, even though we were late comers to accepting this holiday as our own, I chose to celebrate this great holiday with the viewing of an equally great movie! You may think you know what is coming...but I doubt it.

Here is what I am currently watching -

I love it! So fun! Makes me want to be on a beach, with a Spaniard teaching me how to Dirty Dance. Ha! Hope you all danced your hearts out today!

Cheesecake!!!

Yesterday was also National Cheesecake Day, as well as National Talk in an Elevator Day.

Can I just say that I am so proud of Anna and Myself for consistantly not celebrating the same holidays? It makes for much better blogging! :)

So, to celebrate, I did the smart choice - and purchase Ben and Jerry's Cheesecake Brownie Ice Cream. Ever had it? Then you know. If not, go buy some IMMEDIATELY. You will never regret that decision.

So, here is a craptastic picture of it - but, at least I thought enough of you, dear readers, and the blog itself, to even snap a picture, albeit, a terrible one...

Enjoy!

National Talk in an Elevator Day

In other news ... I boycotted National Cheesecake Day by not eating or making or buying any cheesecake. Boo ya!

If you have any good stories about times you've talked in an elevator please comment on the post and tell us your story!

Lasagna Day Part 2

"An Ode to Lasagna" by Sarah Carraway Schmidt:

Oh lasagna, you are such a delicious dish

Cheesy yet meaty, a meal on a plate

To change you I have but a single wish

When baking, must you always be late?!

Ricotta, mozzarella and a bit of parm

Tomatoes and basil with oregano

Meat or fresh veggies, just off the farm

And then comes the pasta that is oh so slow

Slow to grow tender and hot in the middle

Smelling so good as it takes its sweet time

When you just 'bout give up--put grilled cheese on the griddle

You give it one final test and oh how sublime!

The taste and aroma perfectly intermingle

Bring back memories of mama's Italian feasts

Such a perfect concoction causes taste buds to tingle

The beginning of many such dinners on Prospect Park east

Lasagna Day

Another delicious day! It's not hard to guess how I celebrated this holiday ... I cooked lasagna. I tried to spice things up, though, by not using a recipe. I was a little nervous that I'd end up having to order out for pizza tonight, but it turned out alright. Actually, it might have been one of the best lasagnas I've ever made! The spirit of Lasagna Day must've been in the air.

Here are pictures of the stages the lasagna went through and the soundtrack that was playing in the background.

Step 1: Cooking the meat

Soundtrack: "A Change is Gonna Come" - Sam Cooke

Step 2: Mixing the cheese (ricotta and parmesan)

Soundtrack: "I've Got Dreams to Remember" - Otis Redding and "Hit the Road Jack" - Ray Charles

Step 3: Layering it in the pan

Soundtrack: "Stand by Me" - B.B. King; "Lean on Me" - Bill Withers; "Love & Happiness" - Al Green

Step 4: Clean-up

Soundtrack: "Unthinkable" - Alicia Keys; "Like You" - Bow Wow; "Shawty is Da Sh**" - The Dream

Step 5: The finished product

Soundtrack: Lots of Mariah Carey

And finnnnaaaaallllllyyyyy the most important step - eating the good stuff! It was such a huge moment that I couldn't just eat it at my house. I decided to eat at the park by my house. And of course, when I got there, there was a jazz band setting up to play ... because I live in New York and awesome stuff like that happens all the time.

Here's a picture of my lasagna in the park along with the lyrics to the best soundtrack of the entire process.

"Grateful" - Hezekiah Walker

I am grateful for the things that You have done.

I am grateful for the victories we've won.

I could go on and on about Your works.

Because I'm so grateful, grateful so grateful just to praise you Lord.

In other news, today was also rain day and it rained this morning! Woo!

See ya tomorrow for "Talk in an Elevator Day" and "Cheesecake Day". It's gonna be good.

National Milk Chocolate Day

Does it get better than Milk Chocolate Day? I don't think sooooo. At least not until International Beer Day gets here. Allie and I decided to create a joint post today since we both celebrated the same holiday.

I celebrated this delicious day by hand delivering milk chocolate to my roommates while they were at work. Here are some pictures from the day ...

Emma and Sarah at Levain Bakery:

Emma and her co-worker who was pretty happy to find out about milk chocolate day:

Jillian happily celebrating the day at the Jillery jewelry shop:

Allie showed true dedication today. Here is a picture of her breakfast that was eaten with a side of chocolate milk (she's an all-or-nothing kind of girl):

She also went so far as to say that she won't be celebrating this holiday yearly - it's going to be weekly for her! (Wow, Allie. That's all I can say).

After distributing my chocolate, I bought the ingredients for Lasagna Day which is coming up tomorrow. On the train ride home, a young man in my subway car announced that he was selling M&M's ... which are made out of milk chocolate ... to raise money for college. I happily forked over my dollar. What a great way to celebrate.

I hope you all had a delicious and happy milk chocolate day. See you tomorrow for Lasagna Day!

Barbie in a Blender Day

Well, this holiday can be quite gruesome.

Seriously.

So, instead of mutilating multiple barbies, in quite barbaric ways, I chose to rethink what this Holiday might mean to me... To me, barbie in a blender day could mean foregoing your feminine ways, and accepting the manliness within. (As I wrote that, I giggled...)

In my quest to unleash my inner man, I did two things:

1. Rode a Bike. While Wearing a Dress. Take THAT Feminism!

 (p.s. this is way manlier than I make it look. don't be deceived)

2. Made a Pizza. And Drank Beer. Manly Beer.

 (you see those knives. those are manly. also, see my pizza :)

I hope that while looking back upon your day, you were able to celebrate the manliness within - and in a sense, blend that barbie image to a pulp. Ouch....

- Als

Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day

Man! Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day was a success!

Sarah and I walked Jillian's plant, Planty, through the Botanical Gardens so he could meet some of his leafy brothers and sisters. Here are some pictures of Planty's adventure ...

Planty watching a man paint:

Sarah introducing Planty to the curator of the garden:

Planty appreciating some Shakespeare:

Sarah and Planty spending some quality time together:


The best part of Planty's adventure wasn't documented in pictures. It happened when Planty and I stopped at the Japanese garden. We were coloring together when a group of kids in a summer camp surrounded us. One little girl looked at my coloring book so longingly that I offered her a crayon and asked if she wanted to help me color. She and a little boy named Charlie took over the coloring. She told me that she is in 3rd grade and he's in 2nd. We talked about how we are afraid of snakes, but Charlie said that he used to be and isn't anymore (so brave). Soon the other kids saw us coloring and I had about 10 kids climbing on top of me to color. Here's a picture of the finished product:

Aunt and Uncle Day

First of all, Allie thanks for that inspiration. I'm going to go out and grab life's horns tomorrow and see what happens.

Today, I celebrated Aunt and Uncle day. I found this great definition of Aunts and Uncles on a website and want to share with you...

Our Aunts and Uncles mean a lot to us. Among other things, they are most likely:

The backup caretaker when mom and dad go out, or are at work.
Real characters at family get-togethers and events.
Someone we can talk to and related to..... some things we just can talk about with "parental units".
Sound counsel and advice.
Someone who takes you to fun places and events.
Someone whose house is a great place to sleepover, especially if you have cousins.
The ones who give you great presents for birthdays, Christmas and special events.
And, the benefits of Aunts and Uncles goes on, and on, and on, and.........

So, clearly this is a very important holiday and designed to honor some great people. I celebrated by asking all of the sales clerks at the stores I visited who their favorite aunt or uncle is. I got some mixed reviews ...

Checkout guy at Duane Read - Has a lot of aunts and uncles but doesn't know ANY of them. I thought there might be any interesting story about why he doesn't know an of them, but as I started to ask him questions I quickly realized that it was a very sensitive subject. So, I might have traumatized the Duane Read man by telling him about Aunt and Uncle day, but I decided that couldn't stop me from celebrating. I just needed to be more sensitive with my questions.

Cashier at Whole Foods - Favorite aunt lives in Greece. He said that when he was younger, she babysat for him and his brother. She didn't speak the language very well and so when they started acting up, she didn't know how to tell them to stop. She finally got so frustrated that she started chasing them around the house with a broom and a baseball bat! I think this guy appreciated Aunt and Uncle day.

If you haven't already told your parent's siblings that you love them, it's never too late!
Looking forward to Barbie in a Blender Day tomorrow ....
Peace.

July 26th - All or Nothing Day

Well, I chose to celebrate "All or Nothing Day" by grabbing life by the horns, and well, essentially, giving it my all.

This manifested itself in many ways.

1. Sewing. I sewed a lot today. Fixed a dress, a skirt, worked on another dress...the casualties of being the girl who can sew. But I gave them my all.

2. Cleaning. Our apartment is a mess. It has been for a while. I tried to remedy that. Not only by sweeping, but even MOPPING. What?! Grabbing those horns, baby.

3. Dressing. This could have been a challenge. But seeing as how today is "All or Nothing Day" I decided to go with the first part. I gave it my all. I put on cute clothes. Makeup. Even did my hair. Go me!

4. Living. Fact of the matter is that I lived, today. I gave life all I had. And I succeeded. I have lived to see another day. I breathed in and out all day long. I successfully gave today my "All".

What are some of the ways that you grabbed life by the proverbial horns today??

-Allie

Creation

Everything has a beginning, and this blog began as the brainchild of Allie Andrews and Anna Myers. It all started when Anna discovered that Saturday, July 24 was National Tequila Day. She and Allie met to celebrate said holiday at a classy and exotic spot ... Tortilla Flats. Over a pitcher of margaritas and some tequila shots (all for the sake of honoring the day), they began to discuss how great it would be to celebrate more national holidays. They took it a step further and thought - why not make a calendar of all of the holidays and enable more people to join in the celebrations? Who wouldn't want to know when the next "Barbie in a Blender Day" was coming up or participate in "Particularly Preposterous Packing Day"? But the idea couldn't stop with just a calendar. After all, don't we all want to hear about how someone celebrated National Underwear Day? Or honored National Navajo Code Talkers Day? The answer is, yes, yes we do. Therefore, the blog was born.

Anytime one of us celebrates a national holiday, we'll write a blog post and share the experience with the world. I am personally committed to commemorating at least one holiday per day and hope that others join with me. If you'd like to see the calendar so that you too can take part in celebrating and remembering all of our national holidays, email me at aemyers9@gmail.com.